The Cafe at National Coal Mining Museum for England in Wakefield

Fab place that highlights our rich cultural history with coal mining. Seeing Santa underground is a different experience and very enjoyable. Highly recommend a visit.

Went for Santa Underground. Brilliant as always, my kids loved it. Going 140 meters underground to see Santa and his elves in his grotto.

We had an awesome experience, Colin was a great guide, knowledgeable and hilarious. I had a panic attack on the lift going down into the pit and when we got to the bottom I told Colin that I didn't think i could go in to the mine...he convinced me to try at least for a little bit and if I still felt anxious he would get me out. Because of his reassuring demeanor and honest manner I was able to go in and after a while let go of most of my anxiety and was able to enjoy the tour with my children. The mine tour itself was really interesting and I formative, and being in yorkshire on holiday, it felt like a necessary experience to understand and honour the work of miners

Santa underground was brilliant, kids loved it

Would highly recommend a visit!! Me & my 8 year old son went on the underground tour & thoroughly enjoyed ourselves! 140 meters underground sounds like alot & it is! But when you are down there, you just forget how deep you are as you are engrossed within the tour. Big shout out to Eric our tour guide underground!! What a knowledgeable & friendly guy he is.. gets everyone involved, even my son lucas & another visitors child, or as he called them "Ant & Dec" 😂👍 great guy! Great time! Tour lasts for around 1hr 15mins with other things to visit surface level. All the staff are great & really friendly so yeah great experience!!

Had a brilliant time ,lots to see and do,took the underground tour with Mick as our guide, what a lovely man ,and so patient with our grandaughter Rose, would definatly recommend a visit .

This was a really good experience, we went in the mine there was a lot to see and the tour guide Mike was excellent host down the mine. We ate lunch in the reasonably stocked/priced cafe and then went on to the winding wheel and again, Alan was a great host and had lots to talk about as his time as a miner and the local area we were visiting. Well done to Mike and Alan We really enjoyed our visit and recommend you do too.

Fantastic day out for all the family

Fantastic museum, knowledgeable staff always friendly. The canaries were nice too!

Took the old man for his birthday. He used to be a miner back in the 70's and seeing his eyes light up was perfect. We took the underground tour which was fantastic. Really sheds a light on the industry. Felt much more connected to my ancestors after seeing what they did to keep the lights on.

Great place. Brilliant for kids.

Great experience! Super interesting, very reasonable and Gaz was a standout guide. Highly recommend :)

Took my girlfriend and it was highly informative and yet fun and enjoyable but it was definitely ment for young kids

Really interesting day out. Grandkids loved going underground.

Told my mum if we could go here because in my test in school one of the main questions was about mines

We are French and passionate about mining and this museum is surely one of the most complete. It covers all aspects of the mining world (the mine in the daytime, the mine underground, child labor, horse work up to mechanization as well as pollution issues). The immense museum site includes a collection of artifacts complete with usage diagrams and information, as well as a processing station, a real coal mine and a stable. You have to plan the whole day to do everything, which makes it a great playground for everyone. A huge thank you to the work of the volunteers.

Really good will be going back great staff and tour guide Colin

The guides made our day, especially the underground trip. Mining is really dangerous and hard work, but those people love their job.

Visited November 24, our underground tour guide Joe the biker had excellent knowledge of the mining industry which he shared in an entertaining and informative manner. Thoroughly enjoyed the visit, we need to support the museum so we preserve the memory of the mining community.

Great guided tour down the mimes. We paid £15 for two of us. Plenty of parking there was also a second tour going round the old shower block which we jumped on the end of. Lots to sonplenty to see.

Fantastic family day out, the tour down the pit was fantastic. Highly recommended!

A lovely park . Lots of things to do

What a fantastic day out, I 100% recommend a visit - you won't be disappointed! There's soooo much to see and do. A venture underground is a must as you can't go to a mining museum and not go 'down't pit', our guide Mike was absolutely amazing. Most of the staff are ex-miners and are more than happy to tell you tales from their time working there (or at other nearby mines). I came away genuinely proud of my native Yorkshire's coal mining history after learning about the challenges and struggles the mines and miners faced. Admissions is free and it only costs £7.50 PP for the underground tour, which is well worth it. We'll definitely be back as we didn't get a chance to fully explore Hope Pit!

Absolutely fantastic day out with the kids. The underground tour at 7.50 each was well worth it. Many places charge silly money putting it out of the reach of people. My kids loved it and haven’t stopped talking about their day trip for the last few days. Even the Mrs who was apprehensive about going down the mine loved it. Hope this place never changes. Thank you for an amazing day out

A very interesting place for the family (including dogs) is free to enter, including parking. You just need to pay if you take the coal mining tour (not for dogs). Cafe on-site.

Absolutely brilliant day out. Educational and informative. Highly recommended to all. All the guides were experienced ex pit men, knowledgeable and entertaining, especially our underground guide Mick and Alan in the steam winding engine house. Chatted for ages about life underground.

I've been visiting here since it opened and loved it as a child, even going darn pit to see Santa. We've visited many times over the years, and always have a fantastic day, but yesterday was the first time I've taken my own children down the pit. Russ Jones was our guide and his knowledge and humour absolutely made the tour. You could clearly see how much mining meant to him and the kids (and us) absolutely loved listening to him and learning from him. My Grandad was a coal miner and it was nice to learn about the things he would have done. The museum displays and interactive sections are great, we always love a visit to see the memorial and the ponies and the kids really enjoy the park. The food in the cafa is lovely too.There are always different things going on and yesterday we made lanterns for the parade at the end on the month. You can easily visit here and not spend a penny but I encourage anyone who does visit to donate because they rely on donations and they are very much deserved. A fanatastic piece of local history and a definite recommendation from us.

The National Coal Mining Museum in Wakefield, Yorkshire, offers an immersive journey into the heart of coal mining history, led by former miners who share their firsthand experiences. Visitors can descend 140 meters (about 460 feet) into an actual former coal mine in Caphouse Colliery, outfitted with hard hats and lamps. These tours, running for about 75 minutes, take guests through the damp, dark tunnels, where they experience the same pathways that miners used to navigate for generations. As each guide shares unique stories and insights, visitors gain a vivid sense of what life underground was like, including the labor-intensive conditions miners faced from Victorian times through the industrial era. The museum also provides rich learning opportunities above ground. Families can explore exhibitions on mining’s technological evolution and see the powerful machinery once used in the pits. Visitors are invited to stand on a reinforced glass-topped furnace shaft, peering down to the mine's bottom, or to visit the Miners' Memorial Garden and the museum’s resident pit ponies, which served as vital labor animals underground. Other family-friendly activities include an outdoor playground and interactive displays that make the visit engaging for all ages. While entrance to the museum is free, the underground tours require a nominal donation, which helps support the museum's preservation efforts. Tours operate Wednesday through Sunday, with pre-booking recommended to secure a spot, especially on weekends and holidays. This journey is both educational and moving, preserving the legacy and resilience of Yorkshire’s mining communities. For more details on visiting, check the museum's website or guides such as Top Dog Days and the official museum page.

A fantastic afternoon looking around the old colliery. Lots too see and do for all the family. Great underground tours that are worth going on, the guides make the experience more fun +

A fantastic day out! I would highly recommend this museum. We had a guided tour from Russ down the mine, it was amazing

Wonderful experience. I must say I was a little apprehensive about going down the mine but I am so glad I did. JOE our guide on the 10am tour was fantastic. He explained everything and was very caring . The tour lasted about 1 and a half hour but the time passed quickly and I was sad it came to an end. You get to appreciate what the miners life was like and how hard it was for them. Joe was funny and I got to find out that alot of the sayings came from the mine like shut your trap. If you want a great day out this is it.oh a word on the Cafe food was great

A fascinating tour of the mine with my seven year old son and five year old son. Our tour guide, Colin, did a fantastic job - he captured our interest with his expert knowledge about explosives. Highly recommend!

Superb guided underground tour by our guide. 1hr 20mins, so be prepared. Really made it as close to the way it was without being too sanitised. Cafe was very busy so either take a lunch or go for breakfast to see you through!

We had another fantastic day out at the National Coal Mining Museum! The gentlemen running the small train were absolutely delightful – so friendly, happy, and a real credit to the place. Their enthusiasm made the train ride even more enjoyable and set a great tone for the day. They have a good amount of patience needed foe that job. The facilities for younger children were excellent, with plenty to keep them engaged and entertained. Parking was reasonable, and the museum has everything you’d want for a memorable day out. It's the perfect spot for both adults and kids, blending fun and learning with fascinating insights into the coal mining history. Between walking around the beautiful grounds, exploring exhibits, and participating in activities, we learned so much about times gone by. Highly recommended for families and anyone looking for a unique, educational experience that takes into the account the cost of living crisis.

Amazing experience of going down into the pit! You cannot take anything with a battery in it but lockers are available. Takes about an hour & a quarter. Definitely an experience worth taking. Everyone is friendly & helpful. Toilets, cafe, museum, train, nature walk, shop. You could spend a full day here.

Loved visiting the Coal mine museum, my 8 year old loved going down the shaft and taking the tour.

Had a great Underground experience with guide JOE explaining everything would recommend anyone to visit this place.

Always enjoy the place and the realistic experience. Good collection of equipment, could spend hours there myself. Very experienced team of volunteer guides.

Great day out for the children. You can visit the mines by lift, take a tour via train. Please check before attending as these are not always available. Access to site including parking is via optional donation. Interesting buildings and areas, each location has a fact or opportunity to learn. Main building has large cafe with sandwiches and cooked food. Mining ponies located towards the back of the site. Adventure playground is fun and well maintained, good for children. Site is large, and not all paths are easily accessible with some changes in elevation. Excellent place to visit with the children. Can highly recommend.

Fantastic visit! Our guide Mick was very entertaining and shared a lot of information with us we really found it very interesting!

We visited yesterday, and absolutely loved every minute of it. The Underground tour is a must. Our guide - Mick - was a lovely chap, larger than life, very knowledgeable and great with the kids. Thoroughly recommended!

Great place to visit if you have a interest in mining.. free too and things for kids to do, the underground tour is a must..

Brilliant and mostly free. Even the underground tour is only 8 quid. The on site cafe is one of the best I've tried.

The staff were very passionate. A warm welcome and a lovely cafeteria. Unfortunately we could not come by in the weekend as the engineer would start an impressive piece of machinery.

Lovely place to visit. It's important to keep our heritage alive with places like this. The new cafe was a lovely addition

This is a fabulous place to visit and you should do the underground visit too. We should all remember the coal mining industry and appreciate how important it was as well as how stupid it was to destroy it.

Good day out very interesting, would highly recommend going

Absolutely brilliant. The history of our coal mining is demonstrated perfectly showing experience of 100s of years ago originally employed people (including young kids and women) and it shows genuine later massive equipment underground and the guys leading us around underground were very brilliant and kind and good.

Awesome underground tour. Great guide and good experience.

The people working there were brilliant, a lot of them ex miners and knew what they were talking about by sharing their experiences working down the mine. You can also get the chance to go down a mine on a guided tour, brilliant experiences. I booked online. Just to make sure of a place.

The miner Colin was very good at communicating his knowledge of the pits and mining. To be underground in a real pit was a moving experience. It was enhanced by 2 other miners were on the tour and saw some of the comradery between all 3 miners / colliers. It was inspiring to be told by Colin that research is being done at this pit into using heat from deep mines to power homes and other buildings. This is an encouraging way to use the legacy of the pits, Brilliant day.

What an eye opener, finding out about how some of my ancestors earned a living perhaps back to Victorian era. What a superb tour guide Ian Joel was. His knowledge of mining was immense. He was funny, informative beyond belief, and mostly a Yorkshire man who experienced working down the mines himself. Very nice to understand the reality of it. Lovely. Thank you Ian for letting us know about the dangers of mining and its history.

Was down at holmfirth with work mate went along to see the mining museum glad we did did tour at 11.45 guide was joe a couple of kids on tour also and as kids do asked the questions as adults we might not ask great day out and thanks again from 3 support workers from glasgow

So much to see and do for all ages. The guides are very friendly and knowledgeable.

A really good day out, educational, respectful and fun, we booked the underground tour and TC was such a fantastic guide, couldn't ask for more when learning about local history!

Fantastic day,down the pit tour a must but book in advance really interesting.

Brilliant museum. The underground tour was fascinating. Aiden was a brilliant guide, it's wonderful to hear of his first hand experience of working in a mine.

It has been quite a while since last I was here. I remember the trip down the pit was a great experience. The cafe was equally as good with plenty of good quality food. Now I'm afraid it's a dump with very expensive very poorly presented food :- sausages over done rock hard and inedible, £8.50 for small sausage roll and chips, pies run out by only 1.15pm, small mainly crust quiche tasteless and over cooked and hard under heat lamps. In all, the food was very poor and very expensive for what you get The only decent thing was staff who were working very hard and were very helpful. I will not be returning as I feel ripped off and badly done to.

Great educational class! Friendly staff, wonderful play area and free parking. Didnt get a chance to do the whole underground tour. We will come back again for sure!

This was a great experience. Highly recommend. Book the tour that takes you deep underground where you can see the actual coal seams still exposed. I learned a lot of things that were rather surprising especially about the young workforce from so long ago. Our guide was a very experienced miner and also very friendly and able to answer any questions I had.

I visited with my granddaughter. We took the underground tour. Also we rode the paddy train.

Brilliant experience would recommend everyone to go at least once. I took the kids about 20 years ago and thought it was good but all these years on the experience has been the staff there are so passionate about what they do. When I retire fully I may consider volunteering there as it is so good

Wonderful museum about the history of the mines in this region. The museum is free, but if you want to go down 140 meters with the tour, it costs £7.50, but it is definitely worth it. Our tour lasted an hour and a half and was on difficult terrain

I won't list endless details...just go if you have the opportunity. Coiln was our tour guide on the last tour of the day and he was brilliant. Shared lots of his own experiences as a miner and answered loads of questions. We took our 7 year old, who only complained once in just over an hour underground. For the small charge of tour entry, and additional £2.50 for the narrow-gauge railway, its a great way to spend 3 hours.

Very friendly staff, my experience with Steve a former coal miner, life long Leeds United supporter and proud Yorkshire Tea lover ☕😂 was amazing.

Absolutely brilliant place for all the family. Loads of fun for kids of all ages and plenty of fun history to read. Not just an old coal mine it is really interesting.

Had a very interesting and informative visit here. The underground tour in the mine will explain the life of the early miner and his family up until the present day, your guide being an ex-miner himself. It’s quite an eye opener! Obviously you’ll see the exhibits and original buildings from this disused mine and also an interesting gallery devoted to the 1984 miner’s strike and the hardships they went through and how it pulled some communities together and divided others. There’s many well informed guides to assist and answer any questions you may have. Excellent cafe here for snacks and meals. Free to enter but you pay a reasonable set donation to join the underground tour.

Not a huge amount to see but interesting. Did say it was dog friendly, but be aware that's only outside, even the cafe didn't accept them. We had to sit outside, with no cover. It was chilly and windy and my salad got blown off my plate, and napkins off the table. The food wasn't very hot, or very nice. Go to the many local cafes or farmshops, much better value . We couldn't as my husband had a mine tour booked. Cakes all bought in.

Great family day out. Great outdoor activities when the weather is good.

For the price, the experience and the evident knowledge and passion of the tour guides I’d have to say 10/10. Just don’t wear nice clothes or shoes as it’s pretty dirty (certainly makes it more authentic). Highly recommend both the tour and just having a walk around the other parts of the site. It’s a good half day out if you look at everything.

As a group of retired teachers we visited September 5th. Some of us had a miners breakfast, some bacon & egg bread cake, some sausage & egg bread cake, others pie chips & peas. The food was excellent, the staff very friendly and helpful. Our tour down the mine was booked for 1pm our fantastic guide Ian right from the start was so knowledgeable, funny and his running commentary captivated us for over an hour whilst on the tour. He was an absolute credit to Caphouse Colliery he answered all our questions. Ian was such a “ inspirational teacher” that most of us are coming back with family. Some of us managed to visit activities on sight and the Longest Year 84/85 exhibition was really thought provoking and this is the History that should be made compulsory in all High Schools, the conditions that some people had to endure for little pay. Once again thank you to Ian for making the “ retired teachers” visit such an educational visit.

Underground tour is great value

Superb visit and tour yesterday. Martin was fantastic and incredibly knowledgeable. Would highly recommend to all ages. It’s vital that this part of our history is remembered and this museum is the perfect way to do it.

Had a wonderful, informative tour with David who was very knowledgeable about the workings of the mines. Dad was a miner so brought back lovely memories of when he used to tell me stories. Well worth a visit.

We spend the really good time there. It’s free to explore, we paid just £5 for car park 🅿️

Wonderful day out with my family. So much to see and do.. Loved it!

What a place for 2x miners to visit. I've not been down the pit for 35years and it brought back some good memories. Whether you worked at the pit or not, give it a go. I'm sure you will find it interesting and a great day out.

Highly recommend, especially with children. I visited with my 9 year old and so much to do - horses, train ride, crafts, plenty of interactive ‘buttons’ in the museum areas, huge adventure playground, giant sandpit - and all free! We didn’t do the underground tour but she is super keen to go back and do it, so we’ll be visiting again! We also did the Minecraft escape room which was a school holiday event, and it was fantastic- really engaging and lots of variety of puzzles/activities. Really appreciated that I didn’t feel pressure to spend money - there’s a cafe and gift shop but also loads of picnic tables so you can take your own food, including covered picnic area.

Really nice place loads to to for kids I went with my 1 half year old and she loved the sand pit the most it's mainly outdoors so definitely something to do on a nice day

Great day out the miners that take you down are a great set of lads remind me of my late dad would recommend to everyone

Smashing day out. Went with the family and my fatha who is an ex-miner. Having grown up around stories from darn t'pit and all his old mates and knowing the museum was staffed by many fellow ex-miners, I was looking forward to being around those larger than life personalities even more than the museum exhibits themselves. Mindshuh, some o' towld lads that tek thi darn theer are like museum artifacts thersens! The banter began as soon as we drove to the gate. We stopped to speak to two guys in mining gear who were still speaking to each other ova top o t'car...thinking we we're good to go we drove on. We only found once me mutha and fatha arrived that we were supposed to pay on entry! Back at the gates the guys admitted they were too busy kalling; cue me mutha chastising the lads for being stood theer having a mother's bloody meetin instead o' doing job reyt! Before we even entered the building me fatha bumped into Big Bird, aka Glen, who works on the paddy train. They worked together in Selby so it was wonderful seeing them catch up and reminisce. Had a browse round inside, some really moving and poignant exhibits in the galleries concerning the Miner's Strike. Incredible collection of strike history, displayed and exhibited by people who are clearly very passionate about the history; simply stunning. And the Memorial Garden, what can I say, a beautiful monument to those courageous and dedicated guys who were all tragically taken from the families they worked so hard to look after. My dad worked with Cookie, so it was an honour to take a seat on his bench and enjoy the flower displays, which make this a living, breathing memorial. In queue to gu darn t'pit, me fatha bumped into yet another old friend who works there! We were patiently assisted with the safety helmets, not easy when you've brought kids who struggle with funny new headgear. Biker Joe was to be our guide, what a guy! I've read many other reviews commenting on the mine guides being sexist, condescending and rude to fowk...any fears of that were utterly ungrounded with our Joe, diamond in t'ruff it seems! I could listen to his pit tales from when he was 16 for....ooo a good hour! Seriously though, awesome guy, deserves special mention for his great work, he was especially reassuring when my young daughter became distressed by t'cage gooin darn reyt reyt fast. He simply said 'Y'ok Tiger?' as we disembarked the cage and she was immediately cured! Incidentally, she pretends to be tigers, jaguars, black panthers etc all the time at home, so he could not have been more on the money there! Also, Joe and my dad had both worked as miners for 33 years each which led to many of Joe's explanations of machinery and methods involving call-backs to me dad for any further info, with Joe hilariously calling him 'fatha' each time :D :D Went for lunch at the cafe which was good tasty snap, others have said it's a bit dear but fairly standard for museum grub I thought. Any road, it's amusing just to read any given menu prices to me mutha to hear her go 'EH?! Well, the robbin basturds!' Gift shop had some cool stuff but seemed a bit sparse? Our favourite was the rocks and minerals bit where they all look like sweets (spice, to give them their correct term). We had another browse round the machinery outdoors, a long play on the brilliant adventure playground and then a quick ride on the paddy with Glen before heading off oam! Thank you for this fantastic day out!!

Been previously and did the underground tour and was excellent. This time we just went for the Minecraft escape room activity and me and my son found this excellent! Perfect level of challenge and duration for the children, some interesting challenges to solve. I give credit to the organisers. I found this very good value and £10 which includes parking and a little goodie bag to take home.

I went here with my 2 children aged 14 and 12. Fantastic place to visit, we have been a few times and never get bored. I think his name was Ian who took us on our tour, he was fab, probably the best we have had. Full of information and interacted with everybody. Answered all of the questions he was being asked. We will definitely be back. Even though it was very busy as it was the school holidays it was still very well run. I would definitely recommend booking in advance to avoid disappointment.

Great park, charge for parking in summer. But get free train ride

What a fantastic day out. Took the grandkids plenty of things for them to do playground very interactive things to do. Then the tour underground with Bike Joe very informative and a good laugh with is story's. I will be going back to see the things I miss even though I had 12 years underground.

Was an absolutely amazing experience going down the coal mines. Learnt a bit about the history and how the conditions were like for the miners. Taz was a brilliant guide. Kids loved this experience. Educational and fun.

Fantastic day kids loved it worth the travel the underground tour was amazing and the tour guide was very knowledgeable sorry I can't remember his name

Amazing insight into coal mining in the UK. The mine tour was exciting and really well thought out. As well as touring the mine and seeing the machinery used to extract the coal, guests are shown how the process developed throughout the ages. You can feel a real connection to the impact and history of this industry, especially as the tours are delivered by people who actually worked in the industry. Well worth a visit!

Although visited a couple of times this was the first time fully explored the whole site. It really is a day out with all there is to see and do. The highlight was the trip underground which was very interesting and informative. Credit to everyone for delivering a great experience loved by both adults and children.

Our first time doing the coal mine underground tour, absolutely loved it, very interesting and our tour guide was very entertaining..definitely recommend it .

Wow...what an amazing place for history and interesting facts past and present. Good guides and a brilliant day out for the whole family.

There is a five pound per car fee for parking and we had to wait in a queue for about 10 minutes whilst those ahead were given their paperwork and wristbands for the coal train that connects the two ends of the site. The booking is recommended for the mine experience which was fantastic but may not be suitable for those that don’t like enclosed spaces or are not good on their feet, also worth wearing shoes with good grips as some of the underground paths, despite the efforts of the teams, can be a bit slippy. Some other really good exhibits and working elements and a reasonably priced cafe as well as indoor and outdoor picnic areas.

We a great day here, didn't see everything so will have to go again. Definitely book the underground mine tour, it gets busy so book early.

A really enjoyable day and it wasn't too busy despite being a bank holiday weekend. Cafe does good food at reasonable prices but the day was made by the excellent volunteer guides. Special shout out to Taz who did our underground tour and looked after my wife who is partially sighted and also to Trevor in the power house and Alan in the winding house - you all bring everything to life and make it a great experience.

Very fascinating place showing the history of mining, the underground tour was breathtaking, taz was an amazing guide, down to earth bloke with a passion for what he does, managed to keep my 5 year old boy mesmerised for over an hour.

Very nice staff and volunteers. We only did the free exhibits and the showers (the volunteer doing that was all alone and we felt bad for him then a party of 3 joined us but the storytelling was fascinating and we really enjoyed it). We were a bit emotional Reading all the testimonials on the 84/85 year but that was we came for initially and we had a great visit. A big thank you to all the volunteers.

Brilliant place to visit an awesome to actually go down into the mine after a short wait the tour guide has us giggling since we got down to the end of the tour loved every minute 10/10 😀

An amazing day out. Our 6-year-old grandson thoroughly enjoyed everything, especially the underground tour and the ponies. Lots to interest all ages. We pre-booked the underground tour.

Very good museum and Steve our tour guide was very entertaining and knowledgeable

Amazing day out with our son and the underground tour was brilliant! Lots more there than when I was a childm